delation
Definition
Noun: - The act of accusing or informing against someone: "delation" refers to the formal or informal act of reporting someone's wrongdoing to an authority, often with the implication of betrayal or secret informing.
Usage Examples
- (The act of informing on others was used by the authorities to find opposition.)
- (An untrue accusation made to a superior damaged his professional life.)
Advanced Usage
"to practice delation": to habitually inform on others.
- In that oppressive regime, citizens were encouraged to practice delation against their neighbors. (People were urged to report suspicious behavior regularly.)
"delation system": an institutionalized network of informing.
- The delation system created an atmosphere of mistrust and fear. (The formal process of reporting others bred suspicion.)
Variants and Related Words
Delator (n): a person who makes a delation; an informer.
- The delator was rewarded for his information. (The informant received a prize for his tip.)
Delate (v): to accuse or inform against someone.
- He would delate any colleague who spoke against the manager. (He would report any colleague who criticized the boss.)
Synonyms
- Accusation: a claim that someone has done something wrong.
- Denunciation: a public condemnation, often of a political nature.
- Informing: the act of giving information about someone's illegal or secret activities.
Related Idioms
To blow the whistle: to inform on someone, especially in a corporate or government context.
- She blew the whistle on the company's illegal practices. (She reported the misconduct to authorities.)
To rat someone out: informal, to betray someone by informing on them.
- He ratted out his friend to avoid punishment. (He informed on his friend to escape consequences.)
Phrasal Verbs
Inform on: to give information about someone's wrongdoing to an authority.
- He informed on his accomplices to reduce his sentence. (He reported his partners in crime.)
Turn in: to report someone to the police or other authority.
- She turned in her neighbor for illegal dumping. (She reported her neighbor for violating waste laws.)